Alarms went off in the press box when the Browns announced that Winslow wasn’t starting at tight end.

Winslow, a weapon the team can ill afford to lose coming off an awful offensive year, had offseason microfracture knee surgery. Although he has taken a fairly heavy workload in practice, he caught only one pass through the first two preseason games.

The alarms quieted when Winslow ran onto the field. They sounded anew when the fourth-year pro didn’t play in the first two series. General Manager Phil Savage would only say, “Ask the coach after the game.”

Discipline was the likely reason.

Winslow finally got in the game late in the first quarter. A few plays in, he was called for holding.

He made up for it a bit on Derek Anderson’s first series, catching two first-down passes in the red zone. The drive stalled at the 5. The Browns settled for a field goal.

Savage Speaks

Savage updated the status of key players who weren’t in the game.

Savage did a pool interview shortly before it was announced left tackle Kevin Shaffer, who wobbled off the field in the second quarter, suffered a concussion.

He said:

- Left guard Eric Steinbach will play in the season opener against the Steelers on Sept. 9. Steinbach is recovering from a sprained knee. Lennie Friedman has replaced him in the three preseason games.

- Cornerback Gary Baxter will resume practice Monday, and that the team will decide on his status for the regular season soon.

- Center LeCharles Bentley still can wind up on any of three lists: Active, physically unable to perform, or injured reserve. Bentley’s practice schedule is indefinite, but he has been training with the team and is attending meetings.

- Linebacker Andra Davis missed a third straight game and won’t play Thursday at Chicago.

Savage and QBS

It’s unclear how heavily Savage has been in plotting a course for Brady Quinn. Make what you will of this from Savage at a Wednesday speech:

“I have a lot of confidence in Romeo Crennel and the coordinators, Rob Chudzinski and Todd Grantham.

“I think one of the strengths I’ve developed over the years is allowing people to fulfill their roles.”

Those words don’t negate the possibility Savage opines with authority on the question of how to bring along Quinn.

As to coaches fulfilling roles, Savage added, “... and try to do their jobs the way it is best-serving for us and is good for us as a team.”

During the week, Crennel said his choice to start against Pittsburgh was “Charlie Frye and ... someone else.”

The next day, Savage said in fairly plain English he doesn’t want Quinn to be “someone else.”

Savage made his remarks in a public speech. In the same talk, he spoke of Winslow as part of the team nucleus, as if there are no worries for the start of the season.

Based on Frye’s work in the first quarter Saturday, “someone else” may be a moot point.

Savage said it is “unrealistic” to project Quinn into the mix to start Sept. 9 against Pittsburgh.

Butterfingers

Anderson tries to be brave about the large volume of dropped balls that have hurt his bid to win the quarterback job.

“We have to make plays,” Anderson says. “I know guys aren’t going out there to drop the balls. They are trying to make plays.

“We just can’t get frustrated.”

Mo went West

Mo Morris recognized some Ohio faces in the Broncos’ press box. This the Mo Morris who spent years as a Massillon Tigers trainer. He is in his third year with the Broncos.

His says life is good after three years in the Rockies, and optimism for Mike Shanahan’s team is high.

“You can’t beat this organization,’’ he said.

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